Home Is Where the Heart Is
by southernbookgirl
Summary: Toby and Happy had plans to spend the holidays together, but illness and work alter their desires for a peaceful and quiet time together.


_Author's Note: This was originally posted as a part of the "Scorpion Secret Santa" exchange on Tumblr. This is one part of a two-story gift fic set for raredelightfulloveoak (Rose). Hope y'all enjoy it! Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to you all!_

 _Love begins by taking care of the closest ones – the ones at home._ ~Mother Teresa

 _The truth is… I gave my heart away a long time ago, my whole heart… and I never really got it back._ ~Melanie Carmichael, _Sweet Home Alabama_

Paige had convinced Walter to give the team off the week between Christmas and New Year's Day. Toby and Happy were quite pleased with that – Toby had all but jumped out of his pants in excitement over the announcement – but their time off did not turn out quite the way either one had planned. Toby was called away by Homeland Security to help with a separate case in which he had to analyze and pick out possible threats at a G8 Conference held in New York. He left Christmas night; when Happy woke up the next morning, she realized she was suffering from a full-fledged cold.

Coughing and wheezing, sniffling and sneezing – these were the sounds that occupied her day instead of the banging and hammering of her tools on metal to pass the time while Toby was away. Paige and Ralph came over several times during the four days Toby was gone to help her as much as she would let them. Then Sly, while wanting to help Happy, but not expose himself to her illness, sent via Paige various medicines and vitamins to help speed up her recovery. Thus, Happy's "vacation" became a "stay-cation" and a countdown of the days till Toby came home.

Toby's plane landed late on the night of the 29th. Happy, try as she may, was unable to stay awake because the Nyquil and other cold medications had kicked in. So, the only greeting exchanged between the two that night was a light kiss on the forehead and a whispered "I'm home, babe. Love you and sleep tight" from Toby; Happy mumbled her greetings before drifting off to sleep. When she awoke the next morning, feeling better than she had in days, Happy thought it was all a medicine-induced dream until she saw the indentation in the other pillow and her fiancé's phone lying on the bedside table.

Grabbing her robe, she threw it on as she walked through the bedroom door, down the hall, and to the kitchen where strains of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" could be heard. Glancing around the corner, she saw Toby moving to the beat of the music while mixing what looked like pancake batter in a large metal bowl. The mechanical engineer quietly walked up to him and slid her arms around his waist, leaning forward and up to plant a kiss on the back of his neck. She could hear the smile in his voice when he replied with a "Good morning, sleepyhead. Feeling any better?" She nodded in reply, laid her cheek against his back, and sighed contentedly, glad to finally have her fiancé back. Toby laid down his cooking utensils, then turned around, where he took Happy into his arms and planted a soft kiss at her hairline.

"I'm sorry you haven't felt well, sweetheart," he said, "but I heard through the grapevine that Sly via Paige kept you well-stocked with vitamins and medication."

Happy could only nod and mumble a reply, as she was still half-asleep and too content in Toby's embrace to utter a proper response. Toby could tell by the way Happy leaned her whole weight into his embrace that she was probably more exhausted than what she was letting on. Though his heart ached for how sick his fiancée was, Toby did not pass up a moment to have a quiet, serene moment with Happy. These small and vulnerable moments were becoming more of the norm in their private life, and Toby loved and cherished every minute of it.

"You get much sleep while I was gone?" he asked.

Happy replied but it was so quiet and muffled that Toby asked her to repeat it.

"I slept," she reiterated in a louder tone of voice. "However, it wasn't restful because you weren't here for me to snuggle into and cuddle with. I missed you and your warmth."

"Snuggle, huh?" Toby chuckled and kissed the tip of her nose, to which she crinkled her face in response. "You still must not be fully you yet because my Happy rarely uses the words 'snuggle' or 'cuddle'. C'mon, sweetheart. The pancakes can wait; I'm putting you back to bed." Happy tried to fight him, stating "I'm not a baby," but her lack of a struggle – in addition to her snuggling further into the crook of Toby's shoulder – further demonstrated how sick and exhausted she was.

The behaviorist lifted her in his arms and took Happy back to their bedroom without any additional complaint from her, tucking her in with another gentle kiss on her forehead. As he turned to walk away, Happy grabbed his wrist and pulled on him, motioning for him to join her in bed. Toby didn't hesitate to submit to his fiancée'srequest. He immediately kicked off his slippers and slid underneath the comforter and extra quilts, a peaceful smile on both of their faces. Taking Happy into his arms, she laid her head on his chest, snuggling deeper into his side with a content sigh and a murmured "Love you". Not long after, the couple's breathing slowed and both drifted off to sleep, the most restful sleep either had had in four days.

 _For the two of us, home isn't a place. It is a person. And we are finally home_. ~Stephanie Perkins, _Anna and the French Kiss_

 _I'm dreamin' of a place I love  
_ _Even more than I usually do,  
_ _And although I know it's a long road back  
_ _I promise you…  
_ _Where the love light beams,  
_ _I'll be home for Christmas,  
_ _If only in my dreams…  
_ ~Bing Crosby, "I'll Be Home for Christmas"


End file.
